Method and device for producing laps from textile fibers



Aug. 10, 1954 METHOD AND DEVICE K. STRAssLER 2,686,014 FOR PRODUCING LAP-S FROM TEXTILE FIBERS Filed June 4, 1951 INVENTOR.

#p/ ab/er Patented Aug. 10, 1954 ,METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PRODUCING LAPS FROM TEXTILE FIBERS Karl Strassler, Winterthur, Switzerland, assignor to Actiengesellschaft J oh. Jacob Rieter-.& Cie., Winterthur, Switzerland, a. corporation. of

Switzerland Application June 4, 1951, Serial N 0. 229,679

Claims priority, application Switzerland June 5, 1950 ,The present invention relates to a method and mechanism for, producing laps formed of textile fibres in scutching and sliver lap machines.

Production. of laps from cotton tuft on scutching machines or from card slivers on sliver lap machines usually include the step of rolling up the lap between two fluted rollers on a cylinder whose ends ar engaged and which is depressed by th heads of lap racks. The racks are preferably connected by means of a pinion with a brake. If pressure is applied to the lap in this manner, it is initially very great and decreases with increasing size of the lap, because the pressure exertedby the brak on the cylinder changes with the changing position of the pressure heads. The interior layers of the lap are therefore closer to each other than the outer layers which are consequently looser; th outer layers shift relatively to each other during the roll up operation causing a milling movement which makes the lapless uniform and impairs subsequent unrolling of the lap. The conventional brake arrangements for the racks cause a jerky upward movement because the adhesion friction of the brake is overcome only after a certain pressure hasheenbuilt upon the heads of the racks by the lap.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and means for exerting a constant pressure on the, individual layers of a lap while itis formed on a scutching or sliver lap machine. According. to the invention, the pressure with which the spindle is pressed against the lap rollers is automatically increased with increasins. diameter of the lap to counter-balance the reduction of pressure between the spindle and the lap rollers due to increasing diameter of the lap, The upward. movement of the lap roll is used for actuating a piston in a cylinder which communicate with a pressure vessel. The system, comprising the cylinder and the vessel is closed and contains a gas or air whose pressure is increased upon movement of the piston due to rising of the roll carrier. is needed to produce the required pressure for constraining, the vertical movement of the lap roll,

A further object of the invention resides in the provision-of means for automatically changing the pressure exerted on the lap spindle by N ov auxiliary pumpv 5' Claims. (Cl. 242 55.1')

the heads of the lap racks in accordance with the distance between the heads and the lap rollers.

Further and other objects of the present in vention will be hereinafter set forth in the accompanying specification and claims, and shown in, the drawing which, by way of illustration, showswhat I now consider to be preferred embodiments of my invention.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a part sectional front view of one end of the lap mechanism according to the inven tion;

Fig. 2 is a part sectional side view. of the mech; anism shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the pressure forces in the lap mechanism when the diameter of the lap roll is small;

Fig. 4 is a diagram as Fig. 3, illustrating the forces when the lap roll diameter is great.

Like parts are designated by like numeralsin all figures of the drawing.

The lap mechanism comprises a frame I on whose ends columns 2 are mounted for support.- ing the bearings .of four superimposed calender, rollers 3. Two lap. rollers 4 ar borne in the forward part of the frame. Adjacent to the ends of. rollers, 4 are the end plates 5 of the lap bobbin, outside of which the heads 6, provided atthe. upper ends of draw, rods I, are located. A sleeve 9 carried by the lap rod 3 extends between the end plates 5, the lap A coming from the calender rollers. 3 being rolled up on sleeve 9. Rod 8 rotates in bearings provided in the heads 6, and the sleeve 9 and end plates 5 rotate with the rod. The lap B is rotated by the rollers 4. Each draw rod "I carries at its lower end a power, piston I 0.slidable-in a cylinder I I containing compressed air. The flow of the air to and from bothcylinders II is controlled by a control piston I2 in a. cylinder I3, the piston I2 being actuated by a pedal lever It. The pressure cylinders II are connected for air flow with the contrclcylinder l3 by means of conduits I5, I6, and H. In the,

latter is a check valve I8 blocking flow of air from the pressure cylinders II to the control cylinder. Compressed air is supplied from a closed tank I9 from which it flows through conduit 20 tothe control cylinder I 3. Compressed air is supplied to tank I9 through conduit 23 rods 1, the heads 6, and the lap rod 8 to the lap i B. The growing lap pulls pistons l upward, whereby the air above the pistons is forced back into tank IS in which the air is retained by the check valve 2!, causing increase of air pressure in tank [9 and above piston H] in cylinder ll.

As seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the pressures K and K produced by the pull Z in rod 1 and acting on the rollers 4 decrease with increasing diameter of the lap B, because of the decrease of the angle enclosed by the forces K and Z and K and Z from a value a. to a value a, respectively.

The capacity of tank [9 is made so that the pull Z is increased proportionately to the decrease of angle a. and the forces K are substantially the same at all lap diameters. This assures constant pressure during roll up of lap B. The draw rods 1 and the heads 6 move steadily and not jerkily as in the conventional machines, because the operating air is compressed steadily.

When a lap is completed, the device is stopped by moving the pedal lever I4 to the position indicated by a dash-dot line in Fig. 2, which causes lowering of piston l3. The air in the upper parts of cylinders II can now escape through conduit l and aperture l3. At the same time, air flows from tank [9 into the control cylinder 13 and through conduits l6 and I! into the pressure cylinder H below piston H3. Conduits l6 and H are connected with the bore of a lateral protuberance l3 in cylinder It, the bore terminating in cylinder l3 at such a point that it communicates with the space left by the throat 12' of piston l2 when the latter is in its lower position. The air pressure below piston ill moves the latter quickly upward, lifting the lap B from the rollers 4, through rods 1, heads 6, and rod 8. The latter is pulled out of the heads 6 by gripping its hand wheel 8, Fig. l, and the completed lap B can be removed from the machine. After insertion of a new sleeve and of rod 8 into the heads 6, pedal I4" is depressed to its lower position, whereupon control piston I3 is again moved into its operating position. Compressed air flows from tank 19 through conduits 20 and I5 to the upper part of the pressure cylinder 1!, quickly lowering the pistons H] and expelling the air below the pistons Hi through conduits l6 and H and an aperture 24 in the lower end of cylinder I3. A throttle screw 25 controls the escape of air through aperture 24 so that the speed at which piston ill and consequently the new sleeve 9 are lowered, can be regulated. As soon as piston !0 blocks the mouth of conduit it in cylinder H, no air can escape from the lower part of cylinder H, escape of air through conduit 1? being slowed by valve I8. Piston l0 and the parts connected therewith gradually come to a standstill because valve I8 is not absolutely tight, and the sleeve 9 is set gently on the rollers t. The lap mechanism is now ready to roll up a new lap.

The result obtained by the pneumatic device described above can also be produced by mechanical means. In this case, the draw rods I 4 would have to be provided with a brake controlled by a cam, so that its braking effect increases with increasin diameter of the lap and the force K acting on the lap remains the same at all diameters of the lap.

Instead of compressed air, a liquid can be used whose pressure is controlled by positively operated throttle valves so that the pressure increases with increasing diameter of the lap.

While I believe the above described embodiments or my invention to be preferred embodiments, I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of method, design, and construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. Device for producing a lap roll from slivers of textile fibers, comprising a sleeve on which the lap is rolled up, a lap rod extending through said sleeve, head means supporting said rod, two rotating lap rollers supporting and frictionally engaging the lap rolled up on said sleeve for rotating the lap roll, a draw rod connected with each of said head means for drawing said head means and sleeve toward said lap rollers, a power piston connected with each rod, a stationary pressure cylinder for each power piston, and a closed tank containing an operatin medium and being connected for medium flow with said cylinders, the operating medium being forced from said cylinders into said tank upon movement of said power pistons in said cylinders because of increasing diameter of the rolled up lap.

2. Device as set forth in claim 1, comprising a control cylinder interposed for medium flow between said tank and said pressure cylinders, a control piston in said control cylinder for controlling medium fiow through the latter, and actuating means connected with said control piston for moving said control piston in said control cylinder.

3. Device according to claim 2, said control piston affording flow of medium from said pressure cylinders on one side of said power pistons into said tank when the control piston is in one of its extreme positions and affording flow of medium from said tank into said pressure cylinders at the other side of said power pistons when said control piston is in its other extreme positions.

4. Device for producing a lap roll from slivers of textile fibers, comprising a sleeve on which the lap is rolled up, a lap rod extending through said sleeve, head means supporting said rod, two rotating lap rollers supporting and frictlonally engaging the lap rolled up on said sleeve for rotating the lap roll, a draw rod connected with each of said head means for drawing said head means and sleeve toward said lap rollers, a power piston connected with each rod, a, stationary pressure cylinder for each power p ston, a tank containing an operating medium, a control cylinder connected for medium flow with said tank, first conduit means connecting said control cylinder for medium flow with the draw rod end of said pressure cylinder, two second conduit means connecting said control cylinder for medium flow with the other end of said pressure cylinder and adapted to be consecutively closed by said power piston moving toward said other end, a control piston in said control cylinder for controlling medium flow therethrough, actuating means connected with said control piston for moving said control piston in said control cylinder, said com trol piston when in one of its extreme positions affording flow of medium through said two second conduit means and said control cylinder to one of said outlets and from said tank into said pressure cylinder through said first conduit means for moving the power piston in said pressure cylinder toward the end with which said two second conduit means are connected, and throttle means in the one of said two second conduit means which is closed last by the so moved power piston for cushioning the stop of the power piston caused by closing of said two second conduit means.

5. A lap-winding machine comprising a roll carrier raised by the increasing diameter of the roll, a cylinder, a piston movable in said cylinder and connected with said carrier, and a closed air tank communicating with and receiving air from said cylinder upon movement of said piston in said cylinder due to rising of said carrier.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,484,843 OClair Feb. 26, 1924 1,545,945 Crockett July 14, 1925 2,109,936 Tice Mar. 1, 1938 2,342,222 Reynolds l Feb. 22, 1944 2,502,894 Schlums Apr. 4, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 438,640 Great Britain Nov. 20, 1935 

